Today is the day National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani presented Kenya’s 2020/2021 budget, which by most accounts, a third of it (sh1 trillion) will disappear into the pockets of individuals.
Netizens, foremost Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) have this evening taken to the social media giant under the hashtag #TaxMadnessKE, to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to even think of introducing taxes in the Digital Market place.
The regulations contained in the Digital Market Place Supply, value-added tax (VAT) seeks to collect taxes from online magazines, journals, streaming TV services such as Netflix etc, music, podcasts and online gaming.
“A digital market place supply shall be deemed to have been made in Kenya where the recipient of the supply is in Kenya, the payment proxy including credit card information and bank account details of the recipient of the digital supplies is in Kenya; or the residence proxy including the billing or home address or access proxy including Internet Proxy address, mobile country code of SIM card of the recipient is in Kenya,” says KRA in the proposals.
The proposals are in the public participation stage and most people are encouraged to go and ‘shoot it down’.
Most youths depend on the internet for their livelihoods and as such, the proposals have been met with resistance. Here are some of the tweets we sampled:
With onset of covid, the digital space has been a great refuge for most citizen regardless of the fact that that data bundles has become a basic need with citizens gambling between it and amenities like food, rent . Let's protect the digital space from taxes, #TaxMadnessKE pic.twitter.com/LB0k3EkUwE
— Ritah Anindo Obonyo (@RitahAnindo) June 11, 2020
In an era where young people are becoming innovative and using social media I.e coming up with applications that help make our work easier. Do you know imposing this taxes is rendering more young people unemployed #TaxMadnessKE pic.twitter.com/jBlGlR0IgA
— Miss Gichuki (@_WanjiruGichuki) June 11, 2020
#taxMadnessKe
𒊹︎︎︎ Who wins, who loses?
A burden for news outlets online and out of pocket access.consider how internet has transform the right of free speech and even health online Now into a privilege available only to those who can pay? pic.twitter.com/hyz354wd2E— YAC NAIROBI (@NairobiYac) June 11, 2020
There’s already this
BUDGET: ONLINE transactions to now attract a 1.5pc digital tax as govt goes after growing e-commerce in the country. #BudgetKe2020 pic.twitter.com/w1EqyyR4Ki
— Nation Breaking News (@NationBreaking) June 11, 2020
YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED
Your voice is NEEDED!! VAT is being included in some of these things; online classes, trainings, podcasts & even mobile apps! This affects how young people communicate & earn their living! #TaxMadnessKE@KRACorporate @KRACare #Havi #UnitedVoicesKe #BudgetKE2020 @IBP_Kenya pic.twitter.com/hVKKUew3Kw
— The 🇰🇪n 🐿️ (@Alvinmwangi254) June 11, 2020
